Making a Difference in 3 Easy Steps!

Have you ever seen something going on that was just wrong and thought, “Someone should do something about that”? We’ve all had those moments of frustration knowing that we can’t make a difference all by our selves, so we simply stand back and wait to see what happens.

Well today, I want to tell you that you can make a difference. I know so many women who have done so too, like my radio show co-host, Vicky Trabosh, who went to Rwanda simply because she heard a woman’s personal story about the atrocity that happened there, and because the women’s name was Rita – the same as her late mother’s, she saw it as a sign and took off for Rwanda.

Today, Vicky runs a nonprofit called, Itafari.org and has a school there where they educate children so they can go on to college and transform not only their own lives, but their family legacy and their communities. Vicky’s made a huge difference, raising over $500,000 for her community in Rwanda, changing lives one Itafari (brick) at a time!

Carol Walters has made a difference by helping children. She is the founder of the Womenscaringprogram.org where 30 years ago she started with just 3 women and asked them to bring two others with them. The group has grown to over 1000 women raising funds for children’s organizations.

I live next to Dodge Park which was given to Commerce Township by Matilda Dodge. She made a difference when she left her land in trust to be enjoyed by the community. Somehow, however, the government was going to put a freeway through her gorgeous park. The environmentalist were able to stop it, but the land was now up for grabs, and the developers got a hold of it and were going to turn her beautiful park into condos.

This is when my friend, Kathleen Brown (AKA the Tree Witch) stepped up and decided they were not going to destroy her “cathedral of trees”. She asked me to join her, and so we began collecting signatures, called the media, our state representatives, and after a lot of hard work, and some magic from our fabulous township Commissioner, Tom Zoner, the park is now saved.

Today, I want to share three simple tips with you on how you too can make a difference:

Step 1: Find something you are passionate about. If something grabs you like it did Kathleen, or you experience something tragic and feel moved to make a statement or impact. Don’t wait, step forward. It might feel scary at first, but this is when the magic begins and the Universe begins steps into help you.

Step 2: Start small. Take baby steps like Kathleen and I did with the park. We simply started a petition. Once we had the signatures, we had power. Then we went to the adjacent gun club and asked them, “How would they like a huge condo development next door, complaining about the noise every weekend?” Now we had not only our list, but their entire list of members. That’s powerful.

Step 3: Get support. Reach out to your friends and people they know asking for the help you need. In our case, I reached out to my friend at Fox News, Monica Gail, who lived in the community right next door to rally the media. We also reached out to our local state representatives and invited them to the meeting with Multi Lakes Gun Club and then of course we created a media event.

Somehow, everything worked out perfectly, and our wonderful county commissioner, Tom Zoner, purchased the land back and today we have a wonderful park with concerts, soccer, nature trails and of course Kathleen’s beautiful “cathedral of trees”.

You too CAN make a difference! We’d love to hear from you in the area below something you have done that may have taken you out of your comfort zone, and how it all came together in the long run to transform lives and make a difference.